Glossary

General Practitioner (GP)
also, Family Physician or Family Practitioner. A physician/medical doctor who provides primary care.
Genistein isoflavone
One of several known isoflavones whose primary food source is soybeans and soy products and which has antioxidant properties. Genistein has also been shown to interact with estrogen receptors and is therefore capable of causing similar effects in the body as those caused by the hormone estrogen. Isoflavones also have been found to have antiangiogenic effects and may block the uncontrolled cell growth associated with cancer.
Genitourinary system
Organ system containing the reproductive organs and the urinary system.
Genome
Hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in its DNA.
Glutathione
A potent antioxidant, synthesized mainly in the liver, that protects cells from toxins such as free radicals.
Glycosylated (or glycated) hemoglobin
Hemoglobin to which glucose is bound. Implicated in nephropathy and retinopathy in diabetes mellitus.
Granulomata
A small localized tumour of growing connective tissue which is caused by infection or invasion by a foreign body.
Granulomatous disease
A diverse group of hereditary diseases in which certain cells of the immune system have difficulty forming the reactive oxygen compounds, such as the superoxide radical, which are used to kill ingested pathogens, leading to the formation of granulomata in many organs.
Growth hormone
Hormone synthesized, stored, and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland that stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other animals.